Page 30 of Night and Day
Mia looked up from the bowl she’d just filled, surprised. She picked up the packet, turning in her hands. “I don’t know. I thought it’d be healthy. Is this not good? Why didn’t you say something in the shop?”
Izzy shrugged. “I don’t know what you like. Maybe you’ll love that stuff?”
Mia poured the watery-looking milk in the bowl and lowered her spoon in, eyes wide. She chewed on the first spoonful, turning to him with accusation in her eyes. “This tastes like wet cardboard! Why didn’t you say anything?”
Izzy laughed, breaking two eggs on the sizzling pan. The toast popped up and he fetched two plates for them. He wasn’t much of a cook, but he could beat wet cardboard. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know if we... enjoyed the same things. You’re from the other side of the world.”
Mia rolled her eyes. “Okay, from now on, please assume I’m human with taste buds, like you, and guide me away from the disgusting things in your country.”
Izzy laughed, grinding pepper onto the eggs and flipping them over. “Hating the same things doesn’t mean we love the same things, though.”
“That’s okay. Just warn me about anything like... Oh, god, it has raisins in it!” Mia’s face twisted in disgust but she kept eating. “I was so tired last night, I didn’t pay much attention.”
Izzy raided the fridge for extra goodies, and quickly built the egg sandwiches with cheddar cheese, sliced ham, and the spicy chutney he thought worked with anything. “Here you go!”
Mia stared at the plate in wonder. “You did this for me?” Her huge eyes blinked and a strange expression crossed her face.
***
MIA DROPPED HER SPOONand gripped the edge of the table, fighting the wave of emotion in her chest. This was the third time she’d felt something bubbling inside her since landing in New Zealand; each sensation a little different from the last. Whatever it was about this bear of a man that her insides reacted to, it was only getting stronger. If she had tears pushing through because of breakfast, she was in trouble.
Biting into the egg sandwich only made things worse. The delicious taste exploded in her mouth, sending a ripple of pleasure through her body. “This is so good!”
In the kitchen’s corner, Izzy fired up an espresso machine she hadn’t even noticed. “You want a coffee with that?”
“What, like a flat white?” Mia asked, proud that she’d learned the name of the most popular cafe drink on this side of the world. “Can you do that?”
“Sure,” he said and got to work.
In a couple of minutes, he set the heavenly-smelling drink in a scratched orange mug next to her sandwich. “That’s not almond milk, though.”
“Good. I’m rethinking my dietary choices,” she replied, taking a sip.
In a few minutes, Izzy joined her at the table with his own identical breakfast. Well, minus the bran. Mia had a feeling the packet would end up at the back of the pantry for years to come. She’d chalk it up to experience, like the strawberry-scented baby shampoo she’d accidentally bought. She’d been in no state to go shopping last night.
“When is the barbecue?” She asked. “I’d love to wash my clothes before that.”
Izzy wiped chutney off his beard. “It’s tomorrow. We should go shopping today, get you some new clothes.”
Last night’s discomfort returned, churning in Mia’s gut. “I don’t feel great spending your money. Didn’t you say I could borrow something from your brother’s fiancé?”
Izzy twisted his mouth. “Yeah, but... Are we still on for that fake dating thing? You haven’t changed your mind?”
He looked at her with such adorable worry that Mia’s mouth tugged into a smile. “I’m happy to do it if you are? You’d be lying to your family.”
Izzy looked uncomfortable. “Yeah, I thought about that. I don’t really enjoy lying. I’m not a natural, but if we stick with the truth for everything else, like the part about you getting robbed, it might be easier?”
Mia gave him a slow nod. “So, you’re saying, the only fake part would be the relationship, like what happened before I arrived...”
“Which would have been just emails and video calls, anyway, right?” Izzy raised his brow.
Mia chuckled. “What else could it be? Private jets?”
“Exactly,” Izzy gestured with his hands, like painting a picture of their fledgling relationship in the air between them. “We... met through work, like we did. And got talking, and realised we had a lot in common, enjoyed chatting after hours, and...”
Mia cocked her head. “Does that really happen? After a few work emails?”
Izzy shook his head, smiling. “Not afteryourwork emails. That’s where we have to veer from the truth, slightly. Can you imagine a version of yourself that would do that?” His earnest gaze pierced her, exposing what she didn’t want to see.
